


A Recently Deceased Deetz

by sevensparrowsofrhye



Category: Beetlejuice - All Media Types, Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Angst, Beetlejuice Has Mood Ring Hair (Beetlejuice), Canon Compliant - Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24801100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevensparrowsofrhye/pseuds/sevensparrowsofrhye
Summary: “Well thanks for that Maria, but I'm seconds away from collapsing so what do you want because if it's another case you'll be lucky if I don't find a way to die again.”“Unlucky for you it's another case, but it's one that I think only you can handle.” She thrust a manila folder into his chest and looked at him expectantly. Begrudgingly, he opened the file to see a name he hadn't seen or spoke in years.Lydia Rose DeetzDate of Birth: 2nd of February 2004 at 3:13 a.m.Place of Birth: New York HospitalDate of Expected Death: 15th of October 2100Place of Death: 214 Cherry Drive, Winter River, Connecticut
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice & Adam Maitland & Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice & Lydia Deetz & Adam Maitland & Barbara Maitland
Comments: 34
Kudos: 58





	1. Inevitable

Beetlejuice opened his apartment door to find it in its usual state of disarray, with stacks of case files on the kitchen counter and an inch of dust upon every surface. He hadn’t returned here in, what was it, months? A year? Who knows, all he knew was that he was tired.

He made his way to his room, and not even bothering to take off his jacket, plopped on the bed and fell asleep. Beetlejuice had taken on a rather difficult bio-exorcism, as a woman who was murdered by her abusive husband decided to take revenge in death. It had ended with the man’s organs plastering the dining room, while his soul met its end in the depths of a sandworm’s stomach.

After what felt like mere moments, Beetlejuice was awakened by knocking. Too tired to care, he didn't budge. *knock* Nope. Not dealing with some horny breather, if they were that desperate they could go to Dante’s. *knock knock knock* He muttered choice words under his breath but continued to lay there in bed. Soon the knocking escalated to bangs, which while Beetlejuice could sleep like the dead, that shit needed to stop if he wanted to get sleep anytime soon.

Trudging to the door, he wrenched it open.  
“Seriously what the hell do you wa-”  
There stood Maria, her teal skin seemingly glowing in the Netherworld sun, if it could even be called a sun.

“Lawrence, I thought I was going to be here for hours, Jesus you look even worse than usual.”

“Well thanks for that Maria, but I'm seconds away from collapsing so what do you want because if it's another case you'll be lucky if I don't find a way to die again just so I can avoid it.”

“Unlucky for you it's another case, but it's one that I think only you can handle.” She thrust a manila folder into his chest and looked at him expectantly. Begrudgingly, he opened the file to see a name he hadn't seen or spoke in years.

Lydia Rose Deetz  
Date of Birth: 2nd of February 2004 at 3:13 a.m.  
Place of Birth: New York Hospital  
Date of Expected Death: 15th of October 2100  
Place of Death: 214 Cherry Drive, Winter River, Connecticut

Refusing to read further, he felt his cheeks heat with anger, along with his hair turning bright red, he throws the case file at Maria.

“What the hell? She murdered me, Maria, I'm not being her little tour guide to this place. She’s came here before, she can figure it out her damn self.”  
He slams the door and storms off to the kitchen, finding his prize in a bottle of bourbon. However, before he can take a swig from the bottle, Maria with a faint *pop* appears in front of him.

“Lawrence, you were terrible to her! You MARRIED her, she was 15 and had been through too much already, but you only made it worse. I don't care if you hate her, you are doing this. It's the least you can do for her.”

“Goddamn Maria, I'll do it. Just leave me alone for a while so I can get some sleep.”  
“You are doing this now.” She slammed the case file on his counter, making a mushroom cloud of dust around it. With a glare she walked out the door, leaving Beetlejuice alone.

Reluctantly, he picked up the file and with a *pop* He appeared in the waiting room of the Netherworld. An assortment of newly-deads were sitting around the drab room with varying degrees of deadly injuries. A family was huddled in the corner, with each parent muttering words of comfort into their 2 kids’ ears. Across the room, a man had a rather large bruise on his skull while being stark nude who was failing at trying to keep any modesty. A thing about the Netherworld: get used to the heartbreaking, gruesome and awkward.

Making his way over to the desk, he saw Maria had already appeared at her post, going through file after file. Looking up, she addressed Beetlejuice, “Well I see you made the right decision. I thought I would have to drag you out of that place.”

“You are quite scary when you want to be Argentina.”  
Blushing, she told him the directions to the Upperworld. While quite useless to tell him after all this time, she still liked to keep the routine. With a wave, he walked down the hall to the door that would directly take him to the place of his death and home of his soon to be dead ex-best friend.


	2. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beetlejuice arrives at the Maitland-Deetz' residence, to find the home of a struggling old woman.

As Beetlejuice opened the door from the Netherworld, the Maitland-Deetz’ front door creaked open. He quickly stepped inside and took in the somewhat familiar interior of the home.

The Victorian wallpaper had returned to plaster the walls, but the furniture bore no resemblance to the Maitlands or the Deetz. Black leather and cherry wood decorated the room, along with black and white photos tastefully scattered across the wall. They seemed to have gotten his bloodstains off the hardwood years ago.

On the dining room table, a glass vase full of dead roses and lilies sat with a pile of papers bearing Lydia’s name upon them. Striding over to the table, Beetlejuice went through the papers, seeing their true contents. Medical bills, doctors reports, you name it. Lydia was dying and had been doing so for a while now, not to mention alone. But wait, was she alone? Had Adam and Barbara left her as well as Charles and Deborah?

He checked his watch, which bore the date October 14, 11:45 p.m. He had at the least 15 minutes until she passed, or it could be hours. Wandering through the house, he came to the kitchen and grabbed a somewhat rotting apple out of the fruit bowl then continued his search for Lydia. Finding the hallway containing the stairs to the attic, he tried every door until he found what he came for. Keeping himself as transparent as possible, hopefully avoiding her sharp eye, he creaked the door open.

There she was, much older than he remembers, laying in bed with a breather checking a little screen displaying vitals. Closing the door, however, he came face to face with the Maitlands. Well, she wasn't alone.

Barbara and Adam Maitland, just as young and sexy as he remembers. Barbara's eyes grew big, with Adam death-gripping her hand. She looks at her husband and mutters something. Letting go of his hand, she went up to Beetlejuice and wrenched him out of the room.  
“What the hell do you think you are doing?”  
“Well, this is kinda my job Babs.”

She looked frankly exasperated, as she stared at the demon.  
“She's not well. We can take care of whatever job you came here to do, now I would like you to leave her, us, alone.” Pointing at the front door, she went back into the bedroom. Well fuck, this might be a bit harder than the murder-revenge situation. Before he could decide his next move, Adam made his appearance in front of him.

“Hello, Beetlejuice. I know you came here for something, now spit it out.”  
“I didn’t come here for anything unless you are up for ghost orgies. But seriously, I came here to do my job. Maria gave me this case for some damn reason, so I’m following through with it. Any questions?”

Stammering, Adam cleared his train of thought. He did seem sincere, only one orgy joke and that was just Beetlejuice. Lydia was struggling, and her observant nature made it impossible to hide the demon in plain sight. Or on the other hand, seeing him may be good for Lydia? No that's crazy talk... Or was it?

“Adam? BJ to Adam.” Beetlejuice says as he waves his hands in front of Adam’s face.  
“Do you promise, really promise, that you won’t do anything crazy, gross, or anything remotely frightening?”  
“Scouts honor,” with his hand raised in mock salute.  
Adam led Beetlejuice into Lydia’s room, who fortunately was asleep. However, Barbara was staring daggers at the pair.  
“Adam I-”  
“Trust me, Barbara.”

With this, the trio turned and looked at Lydia. She seemed peaceful in her sleepy reverie, her now white hair appearing as a halo. The breather, who he assumed to be a nurse, beside her seemed rather bothered to even be there, scrolling through a minuscule screen. God, how did it come to Lydia being alone in her death aside from an annoyed breather and three spirits? As Barbara strode over to pet Lydia’s hair, Beetlejuice turned to Adam with a million questions swirling through his mind.

“Has it always been like this? Did she get married? Chuck and Deliah? Kids?”  
Starting with the simplest answer, Adam began to speak.  
“No. She had a wife, Alice, who died a couple of years back. Two kids, both are trying to come but a blizzard in the U.K. is keeping them held up. Charles and Delia died, what 30 years ago? But in the hospital, so they couldn't exactly stay.”  
“When did she get sick?”  
“About a year, heart failure. She wants to go but stupid laws prohibit unplugging life support until they have done everything they can do.”

She did not deserve this. He had murdered as if it were no big deal, tortured in the same manner, but not her. Seeing her forced to endure pain, without any corporeal family to comfort her, well, it broke him.

Beetlejuice knew that Lydia would pass today. None of the ghostly trio could stand to see her like this, frail and near death. After nearly three hours in silence, the nurse breather stood up and walked out of the room, phone and vape in hand. Barbara spoke first, suggesting they give her a better outfit to die in.

Quietly, Adam opened the closet and took out a simple black dress, with a lacy trim at the bottom and thin shoulder straps. As the couple dressed the woman, Beetlejuice stepped out of the room. Soon hearing the muttering of a familiar breather, he stepped back inside the room.  
“Beetlejuice?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I sleep? NO. But did I get the fic going? YES. As always you can find me @kittydeetz on tumblr!


	3. Dying.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia finally passes, and the beginning of rekindling the relationships between Beetlejuice and his fellow ghosts starts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for death and suicide. Be careful lovelies.

“Hey Scarecrow.” 

Lydia began to cry. Beetlejuice was at a complete loss for words, because, yeah, he resented her for what she did, but seeing her like this, the facade of hatred melted away. She did not deserve this. He did not expect her to cry, but in his haste to make it stop he nearly pushed Barbara into the wall and sat down next to Lydia.

“Hey, hey, don't cry babes.”  
“I never expected to see you again, I literally stabbed you!”  
“Yeah, that's all water under the bridge, I mean it left a huge scar and it hurt like a mother but I'm no stranger to those.”  
Barbara slapped him on the shoulder, and glared at him, with the air of “dude you're just making it worse!” However, Beetlejuice trudged on.  
“Do you really forgive me for that?” as Lydia motions to his chest.  
“I do, I was an ass and deserved to get that, it was a wake-up call. Haven't had anyone summon me since.”  
“You’re kidding.”  
“Nope, the complete truth.”

Much to his surprise, with the energy of the 15-year-old he once knew, Lydia hugged him. As Lydia dug her head into Beetlejuice’s shoulder, he felt two other ghostly bodies sit on the bed beside them. She cried and didn't seem as if she was going to stop anytime soon. However, as they heard the nurse beginning to ascend the stairs, the group let go of one another and the ghostly bodies retreated to the corner of the room. The nurse quickly took Lydia’s vitals yet again and plopped into the chair beside the bed once again. Adam was the one to break the silence and ask the question he already knew the answer to.

“She’s dying today, isn't she?”  
“Yep.”

As he said this, the first streams of daylight entered the room. Lydia turned her head and took in what would be her last morning, still breathing. She wasn't scared, as she had been on all sides of death, except being the one dying. Adam and Barbara had always assured her that her mom felt no pain, then her dad, then her stepmom, and now her. 

She hoped that they could forgive her for not being able to hold on any longer. Emily and Alice, she had an eternity to find them, as well as Charles and Delia. And in one quick swoop, she unplugged the machine beside her, letting out one last breath. 

Barbara let out a heavy sob before the two men realized what Lydia had done. Adam held on to his wife, digging his head into the crook of her shoulder as Beetlejuice’s hair went from a muted forest green to deep indigo. However, Beetlejuice did not take his eyes off Lydia, as she seemingly climbed out of her body. But it wasn't the 96-year-old Lydia, but instead the spunky 25-year-old Lydia, with her dark hair and piercings lining her ears. She stepped onto the floor and stood to her full height for the first time in years.   
“Jesus, you weren't kidding when you said you were freezing.” 

Barbara and Adam threw themselves at the now young woman, engulfing her in a hug. They cried into each other, not in mourning, but somehow in relief. No more pain, no more struggling. As the group hugging turned around, they watched as the nurse began to quickly press buttons on the unplugged machine, but to no avail.  
“C’mon you three, let's not stay in here.”

Following Beetlejuice, Adam pulled Lydia along with Barbara in tow. They stopped in the living room, with Adam sitting next to Lydia, as Barbara sat in the armchair across from them. Sitting in the silence of the quiet house, Lydia spoke first.   
“You were sent here to escort me to the Netherworld, right?”  
“Bingo, kiddo.”  
“Well, I'm not going. I’m not going to not see my kids before I fuck off to hell.”  
“Good plan, speaking of that, your handbook should be coming any second now.”

As he says this, an NPR tote bag plops onto the coffee table between them. As Lydia proceeds to grab the bag, Barbara pipes up.   
“Beetlejuice, can we go to the kitchen?”   
“Lead the way.”  
They leave the room as Lydia and Adam start to dissect the contents of the bag.  
As they enter the kitchen, Barbara hops up to sit on the counter as Beetlejuice leans against the island. 

“Why are you acting so normal?”  
“Whatever do you mean Babs?”  
“I mean you comforting Lydia. Not kissing us on arrival. And not doing who knows what to that nurse.”  
“I owe it to Lydia to not make this any worse than it already is.”  
Tears began to stream down once again on Barbara’s face. Strangely, she knew what he meant. 

“God, Lydia. She cried for weeks after you left, I don't know if it was grief or regret, but it was definitely something. I remember she tried summoning you, what was it, Christmas of that year?” Barbara faltered for a moment but continued. “We shouldn't have let her do that to you. You were terrible, but none of us deserved what happened, especially you and her.”

“Babs, don't worry about it. It's not your fault what happened. That sham of a wedding was my fault, and now is not time to worry about that. Now let's make sure Lydia is okay.”  
With a smile at Barbara, she and Beetlejuice filed back into the living room.

Lydia and Adam were now staring out the window, as a van bearing the name “Dean Funeral Home” pulled into the driveway, with the contents of the bag discarded on the table.  
“I made the funeral arrangement years ago. I can’t even remember what package I picked. ”

None of them wanted to comment on the solemn statement, as the two funeral home workers filed into the house and up the stairs, stretcher in hand. Not wanting to see her body, Lydia proceeded past her bedroom and into the attic, with Beetlejuice not far behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was quite the heavy chapter, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. I hate having to do this to my girl Lydia, but it will soon be less heavy in the angst department. Also, this is the first chapter to break a thousand words, woo! As always, you can find me @kittydeetz on tumblr. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, I wish you have a great day during these trying times. <3


	4. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Maitlands plan to go to the Netherworld with Beetlejuice's help.

Lydia hadn't been up to the roof in years, but it felt like second nature, as she opened the attic window to the flat bit of roof on the back of the house. Sunbeams heated the black roof tiles, which was a warm welcome to the recently deceased. She sat down, taking in the view of the backside of the town, with its rolling mountains and fields. However, her enjoyment of the view was interrupted by the ever familiar rough voice.  
“You okay?”

“Yeah, just.. It's a lot to take in you know?”

“I know exactly what you mean.” He strode over to her and proceeded to sit. Beetlejuice took in the wise woman’s appearance, she was more confident in herself, even here. A light dew formed in her hair, making her seemingly shimmer. He took the opportunity to   
speak his mind.

“Why did you do it? Pull the plug?”

“I just did it. I knew I was dying, I knew it for the past year. But when you came, I don’t know, I just felt.. At peace? Like it was okay to go, and that it was my time.”

“Lydia, you realize the consequences of that right? I’m flattered you felt like you could go, but Juno, she’ll make you work for her. I can’t let that happen.” His green hair was littered with blue streaks, as he stared at Lydia, seemingly unmoved by his words.

“Well then, don't let that happen. You feed that sorry excuse for a spirit to sandworm before and I’m sure you can do it again. “

At her words, he took it as his cue to leave Lydia to herself.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Barbara, what are we going to do?”

Of course, the question at hand had many meanings and varying answers. As Lydia was now deceased and her kids living in England, the chance of them being able to stay unbothered in their home any longer was slim. Beetlejuice, the bio-exorcist himself, had also arrived, which brought more questions than answers as well.   
Adam began to pace the room, nearly obsessively, as he contemplated his thoughts. Barbara watched him intently, as if he were a museum exhibit of particular interest.

“Honey, I know you’re worrying but hey, we have each other and we have honestly made it through so much worse. We can get through this.”  
Adam smiled at his wife, her golden curls framing her face and kissed her, as he couldn't ask for a better person to make it through eternity with. 

“Sorry to interrupt this love fest, but we gotta talk.”

Barbara and Adam jumped apart to see the demon on the stairs, watching them. But something was off, his hair was pink? In that chaotic week so many years ago his hair was a rainbow of color, but pink.. This was new. However, this was the least of their worries. Adam was the first to pipe up with,

“What problem exactly are we tackling here?”

“Lydia committed an act of suicide, and even if it was because she was already dying, and Juno isn’t the semantics type. We have to figure out how to change Lydia’s file so it reads a natural death, not a suicidal one.”

The couple looked at each other in shock, as they knew the plight of Miss Argentina from Lydia, but did not realize that Lydia herself would suffer the same consequences. Remembering the horror that was Juno, to the point Beetlejuice was fearful himself, the terror of the situation began to set in. They had to fix that file and fast.

“Tell us what to do. We can do it, we just need directions.”  
The demon looked at the determined couple, knowing they would do anything for Lydia, even if it was walking straight into hell, which in this case, Juno’s office. 

“Alright, you better sit down, this might take a while.”

The trio sat down and got to work at their plan.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Okay, you're telling me, I have to literally break into the office of a monarch of death and go through centuries worth of deceased file cases and find Lydia’s case in five minutes?”

Adam looked at Beetlejuice, who was holding his head in his hands, mossy and covered in centuries worth of dirt. He had told them it was hard, but when he said “office” Adam didn't realize that it actually meant going through the Netherworld offices to find a hidden house. 

“Yes, I know that Adam, but that’s where Argentina comes in. She’s worked there for centuries, trust me, with you three y’all can get it done before a week passes here. And no, she can't do this alone, Argentina is talented but not magical.”

The trio had the coffee and dining room tables covered in papers, documenting the ins and outs of the Netherworld Offices, everything from maps to plans on how to file could be obtained seamlessly. As they were rifling through the papers, Lydia descended the stairs.

“What’s all this?” Lydia asks as she picks up a piece of paper. 

“Plans to make sure you don't have to work for Juno for eternity.”

As Beetlejuice says this, the house phone rings and Barbara runs to get it. The remaining three listen as Barbara anxiously converses with the person on the phone. A few minutes later, she returned with a solemn look. 

“All flights from London have been cancelled until further notice, and Alexander has called to ensure the funeral arrangements continue, since they know that they can still say goodbye.”

As soon as Barbara finishes talking, Lydia runs to the kitchen and the ghosts could hear her mashing the phone buttons trying to call back Marie and Alexander. With Lydia occupied with her frantic calling, the Maitlands begin to finalize their plans to go to the Netherworld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, my writers block finally decided to rear its head. I know this chapter is a bit of a filler, but I promise more fun stuff with come soon! As always you can find me @kittydeetz on tumblr. Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	5. Netherworld

“So we just walk in and hand these to the woman with teal skin and we’ll be on our way?”

“Exactly Babs. Whatever you do, avoid Juno like the plague and be quick, I’m not in the mood for planning a rescue mission.”

Beetlejuice smiled at the couple, as over the course of the last day he had actually enjoyed himself, despite the grim reasoning for their closeness. Adam was attentive and made sure every detail was confirmed down to the second, with him constantly pushing up his glasses and running his fingers through this hair.

Barbara had a more straightforward approach, much more Beetlejuice’s style, of going in headfirst and doing whatever was necessary. Her golden curls framed her face, glimmering in her ghostly glow. He hoped that those two would make it in one piece, and hoped they didn't have the disservice of seeing Juno on their excursion.

Beetlejuice and Lydia watched as Adam drew a door on the living room wall and proceeded to knock 3 times. The door opened, and green fog streamed out of it.

“Netherworld…”

Beetlejuice grabbed Lydia around her middle and looked at the Maitlands expectantly, as they had the same entranced look as Lydia.

“Go, you two!”

The couple snapped out of their trance, gave a wave, and ran through the door. It slammed behind them, and Lydia snapped out of her trance.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barbara and Adam Maitland stepped into the Netherworld waiting room for the first time.  
They had brought their handbook, with their plans to retrieve Lydia’s file hidden in its pages. Scanning the room, the woman they were looking for was nowhere to be found.

“Barbara, what should we do?” Adam whispered.

“Blend in, I guess. What, Adam, what happened to your head?”

The couple walked over to a pair of seats in the far corner of the room and began to examine one another’s wounds. Adam had what could be best described as a crater on his head, blood oozing out of it. In contrast, Barbara only had a rather large bruise on her forehead along with a gash along her cheekbone. Looking around the room, it seemed everyone kept their deadly wounds in the Netherworld.

The pair stayed huddled in the corner, waiting for Miss Argentina to walk into the room for what could have been two minutes or two hours, as the clock hung above them gave no discernable information. After what felt like forever, a teal skinned woman walked into the room.

“Welcome to the N-”

Barbara had pulled the woman into their corner, as Adam anxiously threw a piece of paper that Beetlejuice had given them into the woman's hands. She looked at the paper, her eyes growing big.

“Come with me you two, quick, quick!”

The new trio ran down a hallway and into a small cubicle, covered in papers.

“Lydia Deetz, Lydia Deetz…. Ah yes!”

She pulled out a file bearing Lydia’s name. As she went through the file, a knock rang out through the room. Argentina immediately grabbed the couple, pushing them under the desk, and opened the door.

“Maria, why aren't you greeting the newly dead? Remember the last time you didn't do that on time?”

It was Juno, no way to mistake that raspy voice, resulting from the rather large slit across her throat or the lit cigar in her hand, they did not know.

“Sorry Juno, just grabbing papers so everything goes smoothly.”

“It better not happen again,” Juno growled and proceeded back down the hall.

Maria quickly slammed the file drawer shut and thrust the file into Adam’s hands.

“Go, you two! Beetlejuice I assume told you how to get there and once you fix the original file, this one,” motioning to the file in Adam’s hands, “should read ‘heart failure’.”

With a wave, the pair ran down the hall Juno had gone down moments before.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Beetlejuice, are they going to be okay?”

Beetlejuice looked at Lydia, who was looking at the wall the Maitlands had disappeared through moments before.

“They’ll be fine, Scarecrow. Argentina will be with them, you have nothing to worry about.”

In reality, he was worried. Really worried. Even though he had faith in the Maitlands abilities, Juno was forever a challenge, as her powers were stronger than any ghosts aside from Beetlejuice himself. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to let Lydia share his worries. At his words, Lydia led herself to the couch, curled in on herself, and began to cry. Beetlejuice followed her and put a hand on her shoulder, as her body was wracked with sobs.

“It's my fault Adam and Barbara had to go to the Netherworld and my kids won't even be able to see me because I'm like this!” I should have waited but I didn't and it's my own stupid fault.”

As she said this, the demon wrapped his arms around her as she continued to cry.

“Kid, as far as ghosts go, this is the smallest fuck-up I’ve seen. You were in pain, and you had to do what you had to do. Your kids can forgive you.”

Lydia’s cries stuttered as she began to compose herself. He was right, but it didn't mean she felt regret for what she did. She threw her arms around Beetlejuice, who was considerably warmer than she was and enjoyed the comfort he provided. She truly regretted what she did to him, and could never explain her happiness for the fact he returned and forgave her.

After a while, the demon and ghost separated and looked at one another expectantly. In a mere moment, Lydia went from her solemn self to one having an epiphany.

“You can finally teach me some badass ghost tricks right?”

“I can, can’t I? Well, it's not my fault if you burn the house down before Adam and Barbara get back. Where’s that handbook of yours?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Five chapters, and we have arrived at the Netherworld. Not much to say about this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it all the same! As always, you can find me @kittydeetz on tumblr. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


	6. Trapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Barbara and Adam centric chapter, along with ghost powers making their appearance!

Adam and Barbara Maitland stood at a crossroads. Except this crossroad led to three elevators, each of which could possibly lead to Juno’s office.

“Adam, what does that map say? Surely it says which one.”

Adam opened his handbook, with papers cascading out of it into Barbara’s hand. They rifled through the papers, finding their prize in a crudely drawn map with Beetlejuice’s annotations scribbled around the edge of the paper. The crossroads were barely visible on the map, but they could make out a note written next to their place on the map. ‘Hellfire’. Reading these words, Barbara moved to the middle of the room.

“Barbara what are you do-”

With a ‘whoosh’ and wave of heat, flames were ascending the elevator doors. As the flames ate away at the metal, the leftmost elevator door burned with the words, ‘JUNO SHOGGOTH’.  
“There’s our door, unless you think of someone else in this place named Juno who would go through all this trouble to hide their house.”

Glaring at Adam, Barbara hit the button beside the door, with the doors opening to reveal an office. Immediately, the smell of cigarette smoke hit them, along with the smell of decay. The office was completely metal, their footsteps reverberating around the room, along with the metal doors closing with a bang.

“Okay, all we have to do is find the file and change it. Simply enough, Adam. Adam?”

Barbara scanned the room to find Adam crouching behind the desk, hesitantly pulling out a file out of a drawer. But it wasn't like the file contained in their handbook, but a thick black folder covered in dust. Adam looked up to meet Barbara's eyes and spoke.

“It’s Beetlejuice’s file.”

“Adam, as much as I would like to know what's in that folder, we are here for Lydia.”

She grabbed the file from Adam’s hand, placing it down on the desk. Proceeding to the wall covered from top to bottom in file drawers, Barbara floated upwards, and began to wrench open drawers. Adam followed suit a moment later, knowing that time was of the essence. 

After what seemed to be hours, Barbara and Adam had finally come to the drawer containing the files of the Deetz. 

“Alice, Charles, Delia, Emily… LYDIA!”

Barbara ripped the file from the confines of the drawer, and promptly floated back down to the floor. She and Adam ran to the desk, opening the file and seeing Lydia’s name in bright red letters.   
‘Lydia Rose Deetz  
Date of Birth: 2nd of February 2004 at 3:13 a.m.  
Place of Birth: New York Hospital  
Date of Death: 15th of October 2100 at 6:03 a.m.  
Place of Death: 214 Cherry Drive, Winter River, Connecticut  
Cause of Death: Suicide’

Barbara waved her hand, the cause of death melting off the page. Adam quickly began to write, with his writing beginning to match the font typed on the page. As he finished his writing, a faint glow came from the file, along with the copy of it glowing as well.

Grabbing the file copy from the handbook, the two files matched perfectly, with both of them reading, ‘Cause of Death: Natural Death, heart failure.’ Barbara leaped into Adam’s arms, the couple hugging one another as tightly as they could. 

“Adam, thank god, we can leave…”

As Barbara’s words trailed off, Adam looked up to meet the eyes’ of the head demon, along with Miss Argentina’s. Juno’s long fingered hand was wrapped around Maria’s bicep, who was wincing at the tight grip.

“Adam and Barbara Maitland, I was waiting for you two to finally show up. Did my son put you up to this, changing files so your little kid won't be in my debt? It's really a shame some of you ghosts have no respect. Let’s show you some, shall we?”

At this, a hidden door slammed open, revealing a dim foyer. Adam and Barbara’s incorporeal bodies were thrust through it, with Juno and Miss Argentina in tow. All light was lost as the door closed, leaving the trapped trio to Juno’s devices.

Air was whipped from Adam and Barbara’s lungs, as well as Miss Argentina’s from the sound of her gasps. They couldn't die, but they could be tortured. Juno began to speak, her voice seemingly projected from all sides of the room.

“Don't try anything unless eternal exorcism sounds like fun to you. That kid of mine will be no help to you in here, saying his name won't get you out, so good luck with making that escape plan.”

With a loud crack, Juno disappeared from the room.

“Argentina, how did she know we were here? What did you do?”

“Well Adam, Maria is just fine, and I did nothing to give her any idea you two were here. I was greeting the newly deads, and everything was going fine, but she came in, grabbed me, and we were in front of her office, well, you know the rest.”

“Who cares how we got here, how do we get out?”

At this, Barbara lit a fire in her hand, illuminating the room somewhat. Maria and Adam began to search the room for an exit, while Barbara searched the papers in their handbook in hope of finding directions on how to get out of this mess. As they searched, the black file from earlier fell into Barbara’s lap. Just as Lydia’s file, red letters decorated the front of the file, saying: LAWRENCE BEETLEJUICE SHOGGOTH.

She hesitated to open the file, but decided that little could be lost in this situation. Opening the file, she found pages upon pages of information of Beetlejuice’s life, spanning hundreds of years. As she flipped through the pages, Adam joined her, looking at the file contents over her shoulder. 

“What are you two doing? We’re supposed to find a way out, not read case files. Whose file is that anyway?”

“Beetlejuice’s.”

Maria’s eyes went big, crouching down beside them. She grabbed the first page of the file, scanning it.

“I found our way out! God, why didn't I think of that?”

Pulling a pen from her dress, she scribbled on the page, folded it, and set it ablaze. 

“What did that do?”

“He’s our ticket out of here.”

“But summoning him wont get us out of here, Juno said so.”

“Yes, saying his name doesn’t work down here, but a note to the Upperworld will surely get his attention.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was quite the hard chapter to write, as writer's block is hitting me but yet I was determined to write at least a thousand words. Next chapter should have more Beetlejuice and Lydia content, with Lydia's powers beginning to take form. As always you can find me @kittydeetz on tumblr. Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated.


	7. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia’s laughs filled the room, her feet firmly on the ceiling, her clothes and hair seemingly defying gravity. 
> 
> “You know kid, I haven't known a single ghost catch on this fast to their powers, are we completely sure you aren't some demon?”

Lydia’s laughs filled the room, her feet firmly on the ceiling, her clothes and hair seemingly defying gravity. 

“You know kid, I haven't known a single ghost catch on this fast to their powers, are we completely sure you aren't some demon?”

She laughed at Beetlejuice’s comment, beginning to float down. Over the course of the past two days, the pair mercilessly worked to develop Lydia’s powers, which proved to be stronger than most ghosts. Within hours of Adam and Barbara’s departure, Lydia had already been able to easily mirror the basics of Beetlejuice’s scaring style. 

“So, what next?” Lydia asked, grabbing her handbook off the coffee table.

“Lyds, as much as I would like to scare the neighbors shitless, we need some sleep.”

“Fine, but we’re staying down here,” she responded, groaning.

Reluctantly, she plopped down on the loveseat with the demon collapsing on the couch, the both of them tucking a throw pillow under their heads. In minutes, they were both soundly asleep, their chests rising and falling despite their ghostly state. 

After a couple of hours of blissful sleep, a flaming piece of paper floated into the room with a loud crack, waking both ghosts. 

“Beej, what on earth was that?”

As they met each other’s eyes, the paper became eye level, Beetlejuice hastily grabbed it. Scanning it, he ran to the wall, searching his pockets, his hair turning a deep violet. Lydia ran to his side, ripping the paper from his hands and reading it.

‘Beetlejuice -  
Juno has us. Get here now, don't waste time.’

As she read this, Beetlejuice had finally found a piece of chalk and began to draw the door. He banged on the door, it swinging open as the green fog began to pour out of its depths. Lydia moved closer to the door, with every intention of destroying Juno’s existence. Seeing the look of determination on her face, Beetlejuice grabbed her shoulder, pulling her away from the doorway.

“Lydia, you aren't going. Stay here, I'll be back with them before you know it.” 

“Are you crazy? Of course I’m going, I have failed at this before and I’m not letting it happen again! You are taking me with you.”

“Juno isn't some businessman you can scare away with a dancing pig, she can kill you for good, I’m not letting that happen. Stay here, kid, you don't know what you're doing.”

Tears welled up in Lydia’s eyes, but her face let on not sadness but pure anger. 

“Don't know what I'm doing? Who gives a shit, they're my family and us arguing is only making them suffer longer! I'm going, with or without you if you're going to be such a damn asshole about it.”

She stormed to the door, wrenching it open, Beetlejuice at her heels.

The Netherworld waiting room was just as Lydia remembered, with its monochromatic color palette and forever frigid air, melancholy ghosts lining the walls. Beetlejuice appeared, yet again grabbing her, but this time pushing her behind him, hiding her from view. He scanned the room, no sign of Juno quite yet, however, if Lydia was this insistent on joining the rescue party, they needed to keep her hidden.

“Lydia. I need you to be invisible.”

“Wait what? You haven't taught me that yet!”

“Be quiet, do you want to get caught? Here’s your ghost lesson for the day.” He tapped her on the nose, a cold shiver traveling down her body. 

“Boom, invisible. Now follow me unless dying again is your cup of tea.”

Bewildered, she and Beetlejuice made their way down a hallway, every turn they make identical to the last. Eventually, they make it to a room, each branch leading to a different elevator. Before they had even crossed the threshold, a fire had erupted in front of each door, revealing Juno’s name on the far right door. Beetlejuice reached for the door, but within seconds he was thrown into a wall.

“I knew you were too weak to resist their calls for help. You’re a failure, Lawrence, and you're nothing against me.”

Lydia watched helplessly as Juno manhandled Beetlejuice, her few ghost lessons taught her nothing of use against the head demon. The door behind Juno continued to be open, no doubt hiding Adam and Barbara behind it, who were much more versed in their ghostly powers than Lydia. In a split-second decision, she darted through the door, skirting past Juno in her invisible state.

Looking around the metallic room, all she could find was the desk in the center of the room and the file drawers lining the walls. Deciding the desk was her best bet, she searched the drawers, hoping for a map or key to finding the Maitlands but to no avail. She placed her hands on the wall hoping for some sort of hidden door, or simply anything to find the couple or save Beetlejuice. Footsteps began to ring in her ears, meaning Juno was coming closer, and Lydia was losing time. In her desperation and anger, a pulse of energy came from her hands. 

A bang reverberated through the room, the doors slamming but right beside her another door slammed open. A confused Adam and Barbara stepped out, followed by the teal woman that Lydia remembered from her previous journey to the Netherworld, looking around the room. Remembering her invisible state, she created a smaller pulse of energy, hoping she could make herself visible to the pair.

“LYDIA!”

Arms encapsulated her, Adam and Barbara hugging her so tight that she was thankful breathing was no longer needed. She embraced them back, glad to finally see them for a multitude of reasons.

“Juno has Beetlejuice, I can’t stop her, we have t-”

“Mami, why did you say so?”

The voice came from Miss Argentina, who was already making her way to the door. The remaining ghosts followed her as the door was thrown open once again.

“Ah I see, your little family is here, no doubt to save your sorry ass. Let's show them better, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter! I hope y'all enjoyed it. As always, you can find me @kittydeetz on tumblr. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


	8. Exorcism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The longer you fight, the closer he comes to being exorcised.”
> 
> “Bold of you to assume he’s the demon that’s going to be killed.”

Beetlejuice was suspended in midair, his powers seemingly lost, facing the back of Juno’s head. He was utterly powerless to help himself from his predicament, much less saving the ghosts below himself. God, he hoped they could get away from Juno before it was too late, because believe or not these expired breathers meant more to him than he could admit.

“What, did you little souls think that you have any power against me? Argentina, I really expected better of you, I thought getting wrapped up in Lawrence’s affairs was in your past.”

At these words, Maria pushed Adam, Barbara, and Lydia behind her, the youngest ghost pushing against her arms. A metallic thud echoed around the room, the doors closing behind Juno and Beetlejuice, who was fighting the invisible powers holding him. Suddenly, Lydia pushed herself to the forefront of the ghostly quartet, staring daggers at the head demon.

“Put him down.”

A cackle erupted from Juno. “You really think just asking me nicely like some little girl will work? This is my territory, kid.”

A pulse of energy shot throughout the room, the walls beginning to shake with file drawers flying open, papers coming out of their files. Everyone in the room stumbled, all except Lydia, tears streaming down her face, keeping her eye contact with Juno. Another pulse came, except it was localized around Juno’s feet. As she did this, Beetlejuice bobbed downwards, slowly but still moving downwards. Adam slowly moved towards the bobbing demon, as the three women moved together.

BOOM. A fire erupted around Juno’s feet, her limbs being bound to her body, her mouth moving but yet, no sound came out. The beehive hair perched atop her head began smoking, as well as smoke coming from the slit at her neck. The demon coughed, the smoke going from a light gray to a black. She began to speak in a wheezing tone, her airway slowly closing due to the pollution.

“The longer you fight, the closer he comes to being exorcised.”

“Bold of you to assume he’s the demon that’s going to be killed.”

Juno’s eyes widened at Barbara’s words, her face hardening. Behind her, Adam had grasped Beetlejuice’s ankle, pulling him to the floor. The men were staring at the smoking woman, inching closer to her. Suddenly, Juno began to float just as Beetlejuice had, the spirits circling her floating body. She grasped at her neck as if an invisible rope was wrapped around it, with her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

“Barbara, where's the handbook?”

Barbara scuttled across the room at Beetlejuice’s words, grabbing the book and throwing it at him. He grabbed the book, finding a loose piece of paper in its binding, duplicating it with a snap of his fingers, handing it to Maria beside him. They began chanting in tandem, Juno floating ever higher, silent screams being emitted from her mouth. Adam and Barbara grasped Lydia’s hands, as they watched in horror, the demon being sent to her death.

Eventually, Beetlejuice’s and Maria’s chanting began to slow, their eyes continuing to follow Juno’s hovering body. Juno’s body began to dissolve, pieces of her floating away and dissolving into oblivion. The chanting came to a close, the head demon’s body smacking the floor, melting away into nothingness.

Beetlejuice also hit the floor, curling in on himself. Adam and Barbara ran to him, hugging him tighter than what any breather could withstand. The demon began to cry, his body racked with sobs, making Lydia run to him as well, joining in on the hug. Beetlejuice was happier than he had ever been, but yet he still cried. It had taken him centuries to finally metaphorically pull the plug on his mother, and he was finally free of her. Barbara carded her fingers through his hair, Adam slowly rubbing his back, with Lydia hugging him tightly around the middle. Maria had tears in her eyes, looking at the demon with a look of fondness.

“Thanks for helping me, I had wanted to do that for a long time now.”

The ghosts hugging him silently responded by holding him even tighter.

“Let’s get out of here, everyone’s going to catch on about this ordeal soon enough.” Maria held her hand out to Beetlejuice, helping him get up, the ghosts doing the same.

“Is the file changed?”

“It’s changed.”

Lydia nodded, falling in step with Beetlejuice and Maria, Adam and Barbara behind them. They proceeded down the hallway, eventually coming to the waiting room. The room was packed with souls, no doubt due to the lack of management from Maria or Juno. A horse jockey was hurriedly running through the room, clipboard in hand, documenting the newly deads.

“Maria, thank god, where have you been? We haven't seen you or Juno in hours!”

“Patricia, there is nothing to worry about, Juno’s left for good, and I had to help out an old friend,” Maria said, motioning to Beetlejuice.

“You're kidding? Well I guess, I don’t have to do this anymore, wait can I get paid now?” The woman’s eyes grew big, staring at Beetlejuice expectantly.

“Yeah kid, unpaid interns are a thing of the past, I’m sure Juno has piles of cash somewhere to at least pay you back a couple of hundred years.”

She jumped up and down, then with a wave continued to catalog the spirits. Maria grabbed her clipboard off the wall, then engulfing the demon in a hug. She pulled back, still holding his shoulders.

“Stay safe won't you?”

“I’ll try, I mean I have these three to keep me in check, don't I?

She laughed, disappearing into the bustle of the waiting room. Beetlejuice looked back at the trio behind him, all looking a bit worse for wear. The three of them all had their deadly wounds in addition to the injuries from their battle.

“What do we do now?” Adam asked expectantly, a fond expression on his face, his arms around his wife and daughter.

“Let’s go to mine. We can get cleaned up and get some sleep.”

They nodded, motioning for him to lead the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Jake Peralta voice* GUESS WHO JUST GOT MURDERED! Juno has met her exorcism and our ghosts are hopefully going to have a break. As always, you can find me @kittydeetz on tumblr. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


	9. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hugged her back, Beetlejuice and his scarecrow, Lydia.

The ghostly quartet arrived at Beetlejuice's doorstep, the doormat covered in months worth of dust. With a clack, the door opened, all of them stepping inside. Adam’s eyes grew big, taking in the deteriorating state of the apartment, however, Barbara and Lydia paid it no mind, the both of them fighting to stay awake.

“As much as I would like to talk about what just happened, I think we’re about to fall over. Where can we sleep?” Barbara questioned, her arm wrapped around a nearly asleep Lydia.

“Oh yeah, um, you can sleep in here. Well, give me a second.” Beetlejuice stepped into his bedroom, the sheets on the floor and dirt covering the floor. Snapping his fingers, the old sheets disappearing, new ones replacing them, and making themselves. Lydia came into the room and muttered a quick thanks, stifling a yawn. He stepped out of the room, facing Barbara. 

“Thanks for saving us back there. And what you've done for Lydia.” Much to his surprise, Barbara kissed him on the cheek. She went into his bedroom, leaving him with his rosy cheeks and hair to match. Shuddering, he went into the kitchen, finding the discarded bourbon bottle from what felt like months earlier. He took a swig and began to cough, as dust had settled itself on the amber liquid. 

“Beetlejuice? Are you okay?” 

Beetlejuice looked up, seeing a concerned Adam.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just some old booze A-dog.”

Before he could realize what was happening, Adam took the bottle himself and took a drink. The man coughed as well, looking in disgust at the bottle.

“Is all alcohol this bad in the Netherworld?”

“I don't know, maybe I’m just cheap.”

Taking a deep breath, Beetlejuice sat down on a barstool, putting his head in his hands. Without looking up, he could tell Adam sat on the stool beside him. The two men sat in silence, neither of them wanting to bring up the events of the past week. It was Adam who decided to break the prolonged silence. 

“I read your file. I found it in Juno's desk.”

The demon’s head snapped up, his eyes locking with Adam’s.

“You found my file? I thought Juno burned it years ago. Do you still have it? Can I see it?”

“Uh yeah, it's in the handbook still.”

Beetlejuice grabbed the book from the depths of his jacket, pulling out the handbook, which despite the file’s size had hidden it perfectly. He pulled out the dark file, his shoulders slumping as he stared it. Hesitantly, he put it down on the counter.

“What does it say?”

“Do you really want to know what it says?”

“Not particularly. Juno probably wrote some really terrible shit in there, but then again I did some really shitty things.”

“All I know is... Can I give you a hug?”

“What about instead of that we can do some best friend hugging if you get what I-”

Adam cut him off with a hug around his shoulders, making the demon immobile except to embrace him back. Slowly, Beetlejuice hugged him back, nuzzling his head into the crook of Adam’s neck. Adam stayed there, letting him embrace him, the contents of the file floating to the forefront of his mind. Eventually, he let go, Adam removing his arms from his shoulders. 

“How about we get some sleep?”

“Good idea.”

Both of them moved to the couch, Adam on one end and Beetlejuice on the other. Beetlejuice removed his jacket as Adam summoned a blanket, both of them making themselves comfortable. 

“Good night Beetlejuice.” 

“Night Adam.”

Beetlejuice was awoken by a rustling in the kitchen, the sound of dishes clanging in his ears. With a groan, he got up from the couch, taking care to not wake Adam. He opened the door to the kitchen, revealing Barbara to be cleaning the kitchen, the layers of dust gone and dishes neatly away in cabinets. 

“Hi! I had no idea when y’all were going to wake up, so I decided that I might as well make myself useful.”

“Well Babs, you didn't have to do that.”

“I didn't have to, I wanted to.”

Not knowing how to respond, he plopped down on a barstool mulling over his thoughts. A door creaked open into the kitchen, Lydia appeared, looking much more rested than she did the night before. She murmured a quiet “hello” and sat down beside the demon. Adam had appeared as well, walking towards his wife and kissing her. The four looked at one another, waiting for someone to speak of the recent events or anything at all. 

“Is anyone going to talk, or do I have to speak of the elephant in the room?”

“Lydia, the fact we exorcised my mother or the fact we are in the Netherworld?”

“Both, I guess? Do we have a choice about staying or going home? And aren’t you technically an heir to the Netherworld?”

Beetlejuice huffed, the fact of Juno being dead fell to him, but everything she left did fall to him as well. However, his years of being a bastard child of Juno taught him talents unknown to the majority of dwellers within the Netherworld. 

“Well you can go back home, but months have passed in the Upperworld, meaning that your house could be sold to someone else by now. But, of course, we can fix that. You can also stay here in hell, since the rest of your family is here, and you have eternity to find them. Your decision, kid.”

Lydia nodded at no one, taking in his words. She looked at Adam and Barbara, the couple embracing and looking back at her.

“What do you two think I should do?”

“We’re going to miss our house, but I know you miss your family, and truthfully I miss them too. Whatever you choose to do, we’ll support you.” Barbara finished, tears in both hers and Adam’s eyes. 

“I think I want to stay. I miss Mom, Dad, and Delia.”

Beetlejuice leaned over and ruffled Lydia’s hair, a grin spreading across her face. Much to his surprise, she bounded off her seat, hugging him as tightly as she could. He hugged her back, Beetlejuice and his scarecrow, Lydia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND SHE'S DONE!! I admit, this is not my best work, but as my first fanfic and multi chapter project, I'm fairly happy with how it turned out. As always, you find me @kittydeetz on tumblr. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is the first fic I have actually even written so I am really excited to see what happens because truthfully I don't even know completely. Kudos and comments are appreciated! You can find me at kittydeetz on tumblr.


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